Sunday 12th July - Hanoi

Correction.  I kept referring to Saigon yesterday.  Was meant to be Hanoi.  That's what happens when you blog at midnight.

Very early 05:00 start today for a bicycle tour if the city.   Collected by our guide who walked us to the open air food market to collect our bikes.  We got to the market at 05:10 and it was packed - the guide says that people start setting up from 01:00.  The  market was utter chaos.  Imagine the covered section of Brixton market (size-wise) at its busiest time with a few hundred motorbikes and bicycles driving along at the same time - all of them blowing their horns.

This guy wanted to be sure I took his photo.

You had to keep your wits about you at all times but it was very exciting.

Our guide got lost finding the bike hire but got us there in the end and we set of at one hell of a pace.  If the walking part was thrilling the cycling was heart-stopping.  You had to just follow the guide and hope for the best.  She led us first to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum to see the daily raising of the Vietnam flag.  Very large crowds watching complete with patriotic music.

The body of Ho Chi Minh is re-embalmed every year.  Previously it was sent to Russia for this but nowadays the Russians come to Vietnam to do it.

There was a lot of Tai Chi and aerobics going on and I felt compelled to join in.

As we cycled off a man came running up to me shouting, "you give me money!".  Seems the guide had forgotten to pay him for watching the bikes as we watched the ceremony.

After that it was a cycle round the Old Quarter which is mainly French colonial buildings followed by a typical Hanoi breakfast of chicken noodle soup. Hanoians (as I call them) only eat this for breakfast.

After giving the bikes back:

It was time for a Hanoi coffee and the tour was over and it was only 08:00.  Great fun but felt a bit rushed.

So it was back to the hotel for the hotel breakfast and a couple of hours sleep before our guided food tour of Hanoi.  Tu, our guide, was great and gave some great insights into Hanoi life.

But first the food!

First was pork with rice noodles - a Vietnam-Chinese fusion.

Second was tapioca with fried banana and coconut milk.

Next, fried crab pork rolls with noodles.

Followed by sweet-sour lime juice (salt and sugar - delicious)

It just kept on coming - fishcakes with dill, served with 2 kinds of noodles

And finally a kind of zabaglione made with coffee or chocolate.

Each was really good and we were stuffed by the end.  The amazing part was the places we went to for all this were places that you would look at and think, "I'm not eating in there".  But it was all great.  For example, the last place was this:

Tour over, it was now 35C so we headed to a cafe to drink beer while we waited for the National Water Puppet show.  Walking to the cafe a motorbike stopped and asked me if I wanted to buy marijuana.  Iz cos I iz black, innit? 

We were in two minds as to whether to see the show but it was only £3 each and lasts one hour.  It was packed but we were very glad when the hour was over.

I was too big to fit in the seats so had to sit in the aisles.

Walked back to the hotel taking in the sights.

 

Things we learned from Tu today.

1. The majority of families lives in very small spaces - between 20 and 100 square metres.

2. On marriage the woman goes to live with the man's family.  With an entire family living in such small spaces, it is difficult be alone time to have sex.   There are guest houses that cater for this.  I asked of these are the same as the "love hotels" in Japan and was told no, as love hotel room include sex toys and pornography.

3. Those who frequent guest houses do not want their families to know so they place their motorbikes so the number plates can't be seen so none of their relatives know they are there.

4. In Vietnamese culture, light skin is prized as to have dark skin classes you as a "country bumpkin".  For this reason, even in this heat, you see many women riding their motorbikes almost completely covered - including their face and hands.

5. It used to be very common to steal electricity from your neighbour.  Nowadays, if you see anyone tampering with electricity meters everyone in the building watches to stop this happening.

6. The vast majority of goods in the Hanoi night market are made in China - so we didn't go.

To end the day we went to the Sofitel Plaza to get a view of the city from the 20th floor.  In Hanoi they love their multi-coloured bridges.  And great cocktails.

Hanoi really is like Marmite but I LOVE IT!!!